IN THE election manifesto titled Sankalp Patra released by BJP on 14 April 2024, the party has promised seeking permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to elevate India’s position in global decision making. A couple of months back, Dr. S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister had commented that India will get a permanent seat at the UNSC but it won’t be easy as there are a lot of countries who want to block us. This particular initiative by a political party is a welcome step in our pursuit to be developed nation by 2047. After the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, the As world’s largest democracy, the absence of India from the high table of UNSC is not at all justified. India has been the largest contributor in the UN Peace Keeping Force in strife torn region and has brought normalcy in the affected countries.officially ended. The six-year war which began on September 3, 1939 left behind a trail of death and destruction in most parts of the world. United Nations came into existence on October 24, 1945 primarily with the aim of preventing future wars/conflicts and maintaining international peace security besides a host of other charter. UNSC is the most important organ of the UN and has five permanent members (P5) which are United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Russian Federation (in place of erstwhile USSR) and China.

 

It also has 10 non- permanent members which are elected in rotation for a two-year term. The UNSC is also responsible for approving any changes to the UN Charter. One look at the UNSC reveals that the permanent members were essentially the victors in the World War II. The five permanent members of the Security Council have the exclusive veto powers and no resolution can be passed with their concurrence. So even if one permanent member vetoes a resolution, nothing can move ahead and the world opinion can wait. There has been a lot of talk about reforms in the UN but the permanent members are not much interested. After all, such reforms would take away their complete hold on the body. Thus, any reform in the UNSC lies at the mercy of the permanent members. India and China were one of the early signatories of the UN Charter, well before gaining formal independence. While China became a permanent member of the Security Council, there is some controversy about India squandering away the opportunity to become a permanent member in the 1950s. By this time, the world was divided between the West block led by the US and the East block led by the USSR.

 

As a young nation, India was struggling with building the nation on a democratic plank and possibly wanted to occupy a moral high ground. The dilemma possibly helped China’s cause to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Once the powerplay in the international arena was well established, India now perforce has to stake its claim afresh. As world’s largest democracy, the absence of India from the high table of UNSC is not at all justified. India has been one of the most active members of the UN and has contributed significantly in all the spheres. India has been the largest contributor in the UN Peace Keeping Force in strife torn region and has brought normalcy in the affected countries. India has also been at the forefront of humanitarian aid, medical relief and disaster management. India made most significant contribution through its astute COVID vaccine diplomacy. India has emerged as the natural leader of the developing nations in voicing concerns about environment, green energy, conservation and developmental goals. All these may not be sufficient for India’s case. Now that we are the fifth largest economy in the world with the aim of becoming the top three economy by 2030, our best chance is possible around that time.

 

As a country, we will have to be smart to leverage our economy to further the aspiration of joining the P5. The reforms in the UN are inevitable as this world body has proved to be ineffective in resolving the international conflict. Russia - Ukraine war and Israel- Hamas conflict are clear examples of the UNSC failure. With Iran intervention against Israel making the security scenario even more bleak, the current security council appears to be toothless to deal with the looming crisis. India has to raise the voice for a more effective security council. China is going to block all our efforts to be a permanent member. Obviously, India alone is not the sole claimant to be the permanent member. The changed international dynamics make Japan, Germany, Brazil and one country from Africa equal contenders for the spot. The UN Security Council is outdated and needs a clear revamp, representing the aspirations of the continents and the emerging global order. Therefore, our efforts should concentrate in isolating China from the rest of the world.

 

The recent G20 presidency of India was a good step towards aggressive diplomacy wherein India managed to get the African Union to be part of G20. In today’s world, an autocracy like China has no business to call the shots at the UN Security Council. With deft handling and delicate diplomacy as demonstrated in our relations with Russia, India has already shown that it remains strong in protecting the national interest in the emerging power dynamics. India has also stood with old friend Israel in the current crisis in a mature manner. India has to exhibit collective national will to stake its claim as the rightful permanent member of the security council. India is already a member/associate member of SAARC, ASEAN, BRICS, SCO and QUAD (Australia, India, Japan and US) to name a few. Thus, our global standing as a serious and sincere nation in an ideal multipolar world should be lauded. The new Government at the Centre should form a committee to lobby for the reforms in UN in general and permanent membership of India in the UN Security Council in particular.